Description

This book is the first annotated critical edition of a little known 'auto sacramental' of early Spanish seventeenth century. The auto, representing the mystery of the Eucharist, developed as a literary genre peculiar to Spain, becoming a powerful vehicle to propagate Catholicism, first in Spain and later in the New World. Based on Chilean chronicles and literature of the sixteenth century, the auto "La Araucana" is the only one where the characters are exclusively Araucanian natives in Chile, and are used as allegorical characters to represent well-known biblical figures. This critical edition, which follows the rigorous standards of Golden Age scholars, compares the manuscript with all four publications of the auto, provides a detailed study of historical background, plot summary, versification analysis, and critical notes. The book will no doubt appeal to investigators, students and anyone interested in understanding the relationship between colonial history and religion.